An important historical site of Guadeloupe, the town of Petit-Canal, located on the west coast of Grande-Terre between Port Louis and Morne-à-l'Eau, has several memorials related to Guadeloupe's painful slave-trading past. Once an important centre of sugar cultivation, this quiet town, which owes its name to a small canal dug in the 18th century for anchoring boats, is now geared towards tourism, offering amongst other things tours of the mangrove swamp and Grand Cul-de-Sac Marin lagoon.
There are a number of heritage sites to be discovered in Petit-Canal, starting with the Slave Markets, below the Church of St Philip and St James. Legend has it that this monumental flight of steps was used by slaves who had just disembarked from the ships. In reality, it was built after the abolition of slavery in 1848 to facilitate the transport of goods to the heights of the town. These markets now have plaques commemorating the names of the tribes who were deported and landed there. Approaching the steps, the eternal flame monument to the unknown slave also reminds visitors of the sad past of the island. Alongside it, a bust of Louis Delgrès honours the historical figure known for his anti-slavery proclamation of 1802.
Not far from there is a pleasant landscaped park that's ideal for a walk, with no fewer than 500 local plant species! A peaceful haven where you can admire a garden of medicinal plants, a dry forest, a Creole garden and a garden of the Indies, before continuing your tour of Petit-Canal with a trip to the Museum of Yesteryear (Musée de la Vie d'Antan), about daily life in Guadeloupe from Amerindian times to the 60s.